It’s common for people feel like there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done. Productivity plays a major part in the success of a business and an individual. There are certain things that are messing with your productivity every day. They are unnecessary things you might do without thinking about it. Rest assured though, if you cut these out of your life, you would get a lot more done.
1. Multitasking
Do you remember a time where multitasking was supposed to be a time saver? It’s been found that the opposite is true. You can’t effectively do more than one thing at a time. The brain becomes fatigued very quickly when you attempt to multitask. Productivity and efficiency decline. You should focus on one thing at a time, and you’ll get that one thing completed much faster. Then work on the next. This is going to give you better results so you won’t have to go back and revise.
2. The Social Media Trap
It is pretty well known that social media has been a villain in company productivity for a while. It is extremely distracting when using it for personal use. Not only does it suck your time away, but it leaves you thinking about what you’ve seen. We are already throwing thousands of pieces of information to our mind. Why add more?
Yes, social media may be necessary for the growth of your business, but you need to use it efficiently. Reading articles and watching videos is not a way to help your business. Figure out how social media will help you with your business, and focus only on the actions it takes to get what you need. Avoid the social media trap, because it’s a huge time sucker.
3. Meetings Without Purpose
Meetings are important, and certainly have their place for communicating with your team. They should be reserved for sharing relevant information and collaborating on important decisions. Many meetings are pointless and just waste time. It’s also costly for a company to host unproductive work meetings. Ensure that the meetings you attend or hold will have an agenda and a moderator. That way, everyone stays on task and minimizes the time a meeting takes.
4. The Email Trap
Emails are a number one complaint for those who are busy. When you get email notifications, you fall out of the task you’re involved with. Then you respond and completely forget your train of thought with whatever you were working on beforehand. If possible, turn notification for email off. This will allow you to take a look at emails during moments you’re not focused on other things. Complete the “deep work” before checking on emails and responding. This ensures that you actually get work completed.
5. Disorganized Desk or Workspace
If your space where you work is chaotic, your mind will be chaotic. Throw out those little pieces of paper with passwords and reminders. Put them somewhere out of view. Figure out what you need on your desk, and move what isn’t serving you. Organize your desk so you know where important things are. This is a way to improve daily productivity.
6. Online Distractions
Not only do you have social media to contend with but the Internet. There are plenty of things to distract you, thanks to the amount of information it offers. You can shop, find something funny to watch, or look at something interesting happening in the world. You can get lost in this for hours. Some people go as far as to put a website blocker on their computer because they can’t avoid the temptation.
A good way to have the best of all worlds is to set a timer for increments of work and play time. This has been shown to increase productivity. You commit to a time of working and don’t deviate from that. Then you have moments to surf the web. Make sure to set a timer for that too though, so you spend hours surfing.
7. Not Seeking Clarity on Projects
Many of us will not ask questions about projects we’re given. We don’t want to look like we don’t know what we’re doing. In a way though, you deny yourself the tools to do a great job. You also waste a lot of time. You may be slower while on task because you have to do a lot more research. You also do it with very little confidence which makes you “pussy foot” around the task of completing the project. It’s a lot easier to ask for clarity and a major time saver.
8. Work Socializing
It’s expected that you want to build a bond with the people you work with. A pleasant work environment is important for many reasons. The problem arises when you have long conversations that take up a lot of time. You can lose a lot of time this way. Some people will wear headphones when they’re deeply involved in their work. This can alleviate people coming by and chatting for unnecessary reasons.
9. Taking Too Many Breaks
You may get into the habit of leaving your work too many times in a day. You might find any excuse to get away from work. If you spend too much time on your breaks or take too many throughout the day, you may find that you never feel focused enough. The deep work that should be done can’t be tackled, because you don’t get your mind into it.
10. Not Nurturing Yourself
Working in the modern workplace means putting in a lot of hours, which is causing burnout for many. If you are exhausted, you won’t really work that effectively. If you continue on that way, you just go to work and kind of waste your time. You become more easily distracted, and it’s harder for you to think. Are you eating properly? Are you getting enough exercise? Do you get enough sleep? If you find that you’re really exhausted and work is suffering for it, you should try to take care of yourself. When you get the sleep you need and eat food that boosts brain functioning, you’re going to be able to produce better at work. Also, your whole life will improve when you take care of yourself.
When you can avoid these time suckers, you should be able to get more done. It’s not always easy but when you put your mind to it, you can become more productive with subtle daily changes.
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